The 5 Tips To A Cover Letter That Will Get You Hired

Andrea Blidea

Andrea Blidea1:00 pmJanuary 17th, 2017

The 5 Tips To A Cover Letter That Will Get You Hired

The 5 Tips To A Cover Letter That Will Get You Hired

Many of you job seekers today consider the cover letter to be obsolete – who uses that anyway? Well, you’d be surprised to know that even that email you’re sending to a prospective employer it’s actually a… cover letter! Many companies expect to receive one with your resume, and surprise – HR people DO actually read them!

So what a better reason for you to start brushing up your cover letter than scoring and extra point with a brilliantly written one? We’ve gathered below 5 tips to help you write a memorable one.

#1

Don’t be generic

There’s nothing more annoying than reading something addressed to you with “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”. Knowing this, start off by investigating to whom you’re actually supposed to be sending your resume. LinkedIn and Google are your friends, but calling the company or researching their website is a good starting point too. Try to find out the name of the ‘suspect’ – and if everything else fails, just skip the greeting altogether.

#2

Hit the nerve

This is the time to deploy your skill-set and experience related to the job description you are applying for. Be careful to present yourself as seen through the needs of the employer, not yours. The company isn’t interested in your career objectives and how far you want to reach – they need concrete proof that you can be an asset to the company and solve one (or more) of their problems. So be sure to check the job description and correlate your skill-set and experience with whatever they need.

#3

Emphasize your accomplishments

This is the time to showcase what you did best. If you were able to surpass your targets by 200%, or you managed the impossible with a very difficult project – put it in your cover letter. Make sure your potential interviewer gets all the reasons to read your resume and call to set up a meeting.

#4

Make it personal

Don’t use common templates where you just add your name and contact details. Be sure your writing reflects your personality (ease up on the humor though). Show that you put work into this application, that you did your research about the company and their needs – in other words, just be unique.

#5

Understand the purpose of your cover letter

The first and foremost function of a cover letter is to sell – and by that we mean you. Remember that you are trying to trigger a very specific action from the person to whom it is addressed – and interview. So be sure that once you’ve read it it expresses the the sum of your professional persona:

– it iterates your interest for the job and company
– it showcases your skill-set and experience, corroborated with the company’s needs
– it differentiates you from the crowd
– it explains certain anomalies that might be found in your resume
– it demonstrates your unique personality